Related "National League Central" Articles

Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago Cubs
How they got there
Chicago: Won NL Central with record of 103-58; defeated San Francisco, 3-1, in division series; defeated Dodgers, 4-2, in NLCS.
Cleveland: Won AL Central with record of 94-67; defeated Boston,...

Dave Roberts ducked his head as he walked beneath the low ceilings inside the bowels of this century-old park. His feet trod across Wrigley Field’s stained green carpet. Halfway back to his office, he removed his cap and scratched his head, as if brushing...

How they got there
Dodgers: Won NL West with record of 91-71; defeated Washington, 3-2, in division series.
Chicago Cubs: Won NL Central with record of 103-58; defeated San Francisco, 3-1, in division series.
Game 1: Saturday at Chicago, 5 p.m....

The Chicago Cubs went out and got Jon Lester for these moments. And he delivered in a big way Friday night.
Lester outpitched Johnny Cueto with eight sparkling innings, Javier Baez homered in the eighth and the Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants,...

Nobody takes to October like Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants.
Bumgarner pitched a four-hitter for his latest postseason gem, outlasting Noah Syndergaard in a classic duel between aces, and injury substitute Conor Gillaspie hit a...

The Cincinnati Reds said Friday that Bryan Price will return next year for a fourth season as manager.
The Reds, last in the NL Central, and Price agreed to a one-year contract with a team option. The entire coaching staff also has been offered...

The Curse of the Bambino died at 86. It lived a long and full life, fueling great depression in Boston from the Great Depression through the dawn of the 21st century.
The Curse of the Billy Goat turns 71 this fall, a vibrant symbol of the...

The ballparks of the National League Central Division represent ready-made reminders of how great Albert Pujols was at one time. Even now, he holds home run records in most of them; only one current Pittsburgh Pirate has hit more home runs at PNC Park...

Bartolo Colon of the New York Mets got his 220th victory Monday, passing Pedro Martinez for the second-most by a Dominican pitcher. Who is first? Answer at end of these notes. ... How limited is Boston Red Sox first baseman Hanley Ramirez's range? He...

Published in Los Angeles Times on May 08, 2016 — Print headline: "AROUND THE HORN - Colon moves up on list"

A team-by-team and division-by-division look at the National League.
Bill Shaikin's team outlooks are listed in predicted order of finish. Lineups and rotations are projections.
WEST DIVISION
1 l DODGERS
2015 l 92-70, 1st in West. Last year in...

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the last three years making believers out of everybody, even the schedule makers.
The team that toiled in national anonymity for two decades will bat leadoff for Major League Baseball on Sunday when the Pirates host...

Published in Los Angeles Times on April 03, 2016 — Print headline: "Pirates like inclusion in MLB opener - NOTES"

Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta has agreed to a $10.7 million, one-year contract, avoiding arbitration with the highest one-year deal for a pitcher with four years of major league service.
A person familiar with the negotiations disclosed the agreement...

It has been a long time, Rams, so long that the Dodgers played a game in the Coliseum more recently than you have.
It has been a long time too, Rams, since you had a winning season. That was 2003, when Eric Gagne won the National League Cy Young Award...

Published in Los Angeles Times on January 18, 2016 — Print headline: "These guys are a solid lineup - Free agents still available have more punch than projected Angels starters."

These Chicago Cubs are supposed to be too young to be here. Or maybe they're just too good to care. Jake Arrieta allowed four hits in nine dominant innings and the Cubs rolled to a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL wild-card game on...

The Pittsburgh Pirates had the second-best record in the major leagues this season. The Chicago Cubs had the third-best record, better than any team in any division but their own.
However, because both teams finished behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the...

Jim Crane wanted no part of the American League.
Houston was a National League town. As Crane completed his purchase of the Astros in 2011, Commissioner Bud Selig asked the new owner whether he would move his team to the AL West. Selig pitched the lure...

The game began with much promise for Kole Calhoun and the Angels on Tuesday night, the right fielder leading off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to right field off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, Calhoun's 23rd of the season.
A little more...

Mike Scioscia wasn’t one for small talk when third baseman Kyle Kubitza, who was recalled from triple-A Salt Lake, stepped into the manager’s office Tuesday.
“He said, ‘Hello, good job this season.… Have you ever played second base?’ “ Kubitza said.
...

Hi, welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, wondering if the Dodgers can just play bad teams for the rest of the season.
Winning the division
The Dodgers swept the Reds Tuesday through Thursday, increasing their...